Junior Achievement (JA) of Maine has provided students with educational programs outside of the typical school curriculum for years. Today I interviewed JA Interim President Michelle Anderson about JA programs, volunteers, challenges, and her role within the organization.

Kelly: Hi Michelle thanks for being here with me today. I’m sure most people have heard of Junior Achievement but for those who aren’t familiar with it, what can you tell them?

Michelle: JA is a world-wide non-profit organization that provides financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurial education to students from kindergarten through high school. We bring business volunteers into classrooms across Maine to teach age appropriate, interactive curriculum that inspires and prepares students to own their economic success by teaching them skills needed to enter the working world.

The cool thing is that our programs are free to the schools. We don’t get any state funding. We’re funded strictly through grants, scholarships, and individual giving. JA is growing in Maine…last year we reached over 11,000 students and this year we’re on track to reach even more.

​JA actually started by in 1919 as an after school program in Massachusetts and is now worldwide like I mentioned. We’re part of JA USA based out of Colorado.

Kelly: How many different programs does JA offer?

​Michelle: JA offers 20 different programs for K-12 students. For elementary school there is a different program for each grade, kindergarten through 5th. For middle and high school grades, teachers can pick from a variety of different programs depending on the area of focus.

​We have programs focused on entrepreneurial skills and how to start a business, programs that teach students about interviewing, resumes and soft skills, other programs that focus on global economics, personal finance, etc. Each program has 5-7 lessons, depending on the grade and program.

One of our middle school programs is called “JA Job Shadow” where each class is matched with a business for a few hours to learn all about the inner workings of a company. The goal of this experience is to get students thinking about all the different careers in one company. The host companies are able to create an experience for the students that best fits their culture.

Some companies provide a tour, do mock interviews so students learn the do’s and don’ts, others have the students actually taking part in their job tasks, such as answering the phones, etc. The 8th graders from King Middle School will walk to 8 different businesses in the Old Port on April 3rd to experience job shadow day.

Every JA program, no matter what grade, has a game or activity associated with concepts so the students are engaged in hands on activities to help them learn and volunteers are not up in front of the class lecturing. It’s great experience for the students to interact with a volunteer from the community, starting at a young age.Kelly: And these programs are all taught by local volunteers?

Michelle: They are. The beauty of JA is that anyone can volunteer. We want volunteers to take their life and work experience and bring it to each lesson. I always say that no two volunteers will teach a program the same way.

JA provides a great basis and framework for the lessons and then it’s up to the volunteer to make it their own. Whether you are a stay at home mom or dad, small business owner, CEO of a large company, fisherman, etc. everyone has work and life experience they can relay to young people.

Kelly: Do you have a lot of volunteers or is it usually the same core group of people teaching different programs?

Michelle: We have great retention with our volunteers, almost all of them come back to volunteer again the next year or teach multiple JA classes a year. We have a group of about 400 active volunteers throughout the state, but our demand has gone up this year so we’re in need of more.

The volunteers have the flexibility and control to pick what grade, school and or class they would like to volunteer in and working with the teacher to come up with a schedule is easy, as they know you are they know you are busy, so they are happy to work with the time you have available.

Kelly: You talked about the programs JA offers…do volunteers come up with the programs themselves or do the teachers help them? Or someone at JA…how does that work?

Michelle: All of our programs are created by curriculum specialists at JA USA. Each program comes in a kit that looks like a briefcase. JA does a great job of creating easy-to-follow lesson plans for volunteers that lays out the concepts and activities.

From there, the volunteers can tailor the lessons to add in their own experiences and examples from their life. Most JA lessons are 30-45 minutes each, depending on the grade

Kelly: And how could someone who’s interested in volunteering to teach a JA program get more information or sign up?

Michelle: We encourage people to visit our website at JAMaine.org or they can contact me directly at manderson@jamaine.org or by calling (207)347-4333. We are happy to provide those interested in volunteering with a shadow experience so they can witness JA first hand in the classroom.

We always provide new volunteers with a brief training to go over the process and answer questions regarding the materials. As I mentioned earlier, volunteers can pick where they want to volunteer and at what grade level.

Kelly: I know you help prepare volunteers but do you volunteer to teach yourself?

Michelle: Yes, I try to volunteer as much as I can, it’s the best part of my job and it’s much easier to train volunteers having firsthand experience! My favorite is the 2nd grade program called, “JA Our Community.” I love it because it teaches kids all about how a community works, including different jobs people can hold and what kinds of businesses are found in a community. Students learn about taxes, government workers and how to elect a major. We teach students about production and assembly lines by transforming them into donut shop workers and producing paper donuts, it’s a blast! I’m amazed at the information the students can retain!

Kelly: Junior Achievement programs help prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to do things like manage their money…things that regular school curriculums don’t cover. Are there specific JA programs you find most valuable in helping prepare kids for the real world?Michelle: JA programs bridge the gap between what students are learning in school to what they will do in the future. All the programs do a fantastic job at making learning relevant by preparing students for the world of work at an age appropriate level. Here in Maine, we do a large number of elementary level JA programs because teachers find it easier to fit JA into their schedule, although middle & high school teachers find a natural fit to JA and their curriculum. Not only is the curriculum content beneficial for the students, it’s the networking opportunity with the JA volunteer, as well. Our mission is to inspire students and prepare them for their own economic success. Whether that success means continuing on to higher education or a specific trade, we want students to be equipped with the tools to pick the career they want and be successful members of our community.Kelly: Do you know how many schools in Maine incorporate JA programs?

Michelle: Last academic year, 131 schools participated in JA programs. Over 11,000 students were impacted by one or more JA programs. It seems like a lot, but that’s only 5% of the population of students in Maine. Our goal is to impact many more students.Kelly: Were you involved with any JA programs yourself in school?Michelle: I was not involved but I certainly wish I had been. In middle school grades JA programs are teaching students how to write resumes and soft skills needed for interviews…something a regular school curriculum doesn’t offer.Kelly: How long have you worked for JA and what is your current position?Michelle: After college I started as a Marketing and Special Events Intern at JA. I helped with social media and newsletters and assisting with event planning. A few months later I was hired as a part time Special Events and Marketing Coordinator, then later Marketing & Program Director. My primary job function was to recruit and match volunteers with teachers who were requesting JA in the Greater Portland Area and plan our three big fundraising events; Golf Classic, JA Titan Challenge and Maine Business Hall of Fame. I currently serve as the Interim President for JA of Maine. With a staff of three, we work hard to provide JA to classrooms throughout Maine by recruiting volunteers and securing funding from companies that support our mission.Kelly: What would you say is the most rewarding part of your job?Michelle: The impact JA programs has on students is by far the most rewarding part. These programs are a necessity and I love seeing the doors that they open for students. It’s also wonderful to see JA alum come back to volunteer, it’s a great way to give back!

I have a great JA story; two years ago we had a 7th grade student start a business because he was inspired after participating in the “JA It’s My Business” program. He sells Maine-made authentic rope bracelets and other accessories made from Maine marine materials. It’s called Sailwinds Trading Company and with help of his family, the products are now sold worldwide. They generously donate a portion of their proceeds to JA. It’s wonderful to see such a success story here in Maine.

We send out surveys to teachers and volunteers after a program is complete and it’s rewarding to read the feedback. Recently, after the JA Titan Challenge, an online business competition for high school students, a teacher wrote that one of her high school student originally did not get into one of the colleges she had applied for, but because the college became aware of the Titan Challenge experience, they are now reevaluating her application. Stories like that make my job so rewarding.Kelly: Going off of that…what are the biggest rewards of being a part of a JA program for both volunteers and students?Michelle: I think it’s a great opportunity for volunteers to get out into the community and get involved. We’re educating the next generation of leaders and we want them to stay in Maine. I think volunteers get as much out of as the kids do. It’s rewarding when the kids see you for the 2nd lesson and can’t wait for you to come back. Anyone, even with a busy schedule, can do it. The teacher and the volunteer work out the schedule together.

We also have a method called JA-in-a-day, which we do primarily in middle schools. It’s a great way for a large group of students to do an entire program in one day. They rotate between the group of volunteers until they get all the lessons. It’s a great team building opportunity for companies who have employees that want to participate. The company gets to choose a lesson and we help them prepare it. It’s rewarding for the students because they get the chance to hear from more than one person and get to see different roles within a company, similar to our job-shadowing program. It’s also great exposure for the companies as well.

Kelly: What would you say are the biggest challenges, not only for your position but for the program itself?

Michelle: We have a small staff and we all wear a lot of different hats, as I’m sure is true with most small organizations. Our mission is to reach as many Maine students as possible, but we need the increased revenue to fund all of our programs, so fundraising is always top of mind.

We never want say no to a teacher who requests a JA class, and there is certainly not a lack of interest from teachers, which speaks to the value of our programs.We’ve gone from reaching 8,000 students in 2010 to reaching 11,000 last academic year, so we are growing and we need to grow our group of active volunteers, as well.

We hope to tap into new industries and make our programs more assessable to professionals interested in volunteering. We want to make it clear that anyone can be a volunteer, not just CEOs and bankers, everyone has something to offer.

Kelly: If you could say one thing to convince someone to become involved with JA what would it be?

Michelle: One thing I would say to a volunteer that might be nervous or unsure is to go for it! The impact that it has on the students is evident and amazing. We are helping educate the next workforce in Maine and we want you to be a part of it! Everyone, no matter your job, have experiences that can help kids start thinking about their futures.Kelly: Local marketing firm 19 Oaks has worked with JA a lot in the past year. How did that come about and how have they helped you?

Michelle: We are so thankful to 19 Oaks. They were looking for a non-profit that they could support and after hearing about our mission jumped on board. They contribute marketing and sales services to help us meet our revenue goals and fill our need for volunteers so we never turn down a teacher that wants a program. With such a small staff, their guidance and expertise has been instrumental in allowing us to build our brand.

To experience JA firsthand, the 19 Oaks team went to Scarborough Middle School to present a JA in a Day to the entire 6th grade class, over 260 students. The program is called “JA It’s My Future” and was a new JA program created that focuses on high growth careers, branding, resumes, soft skills, and goal planning.

Different that our traditional JA model, the JA in a Day allows a large number of students receive an entire JA program in one day. Six volunteers are needed, one to teach each of the lessons, and classes rotate between all the volunteers until they have received all the lessons of the program. 19 Oaks did a fantastic job relaying their real life experience to the students and their employees continue to volunteer!

We could not be more appreciative to 19 Oaks, they are an amazing company with absolutely amazing people. Their philosophy of taking care of clients from the ground up is apparent and we look forward to our partnership!Kelly: Do you have any upcoming events that people can attend to become more familiarized with JA?

Michelle: Our next (and largest) event is the 26th Annual Maine Business Hall of Fame event on May 6, 2015 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Portland Marriott Sable Oaks in South Portland. Every year we honor 3 people from the community for their contributions to the state of Maine. This year we’re honoring Robert Moore, Chairman and CEO of Dead River Company,

Becky Rand, owner of Becky’s Diner in Portland, and Karen Gordon Mills, Senior Fellow of Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School. It’s a wonderful evening where we honor all past laureates and our newest inductees.A local videographer Stuart Townsend, creates three amazing videos of our Laureates that we showcase the night of. The video focuses on their lives, what they’ve accomplished, etc. JA students will be in attendance and will speak about their JA experience. This year we are excited to have Lee Nelson back as our MC for the 9thyear and, we are thankful to our platinum sponsor, MEMIC. For those interested in learning about the sponsorship packages or purchasing a seat, please contact me!